Hey ladies!

Last time, we talked about how stress messes with our bodies (hello, mystery stomach aches), and this week, we’re diving into another topic that doesn’t get enough attention - how family dynamics can shape our relationship with food.

Family dynamics play a HUGE role in how we view our bodies, food, and self-worth.

You’re a teenager in a family where success is everything. Perfection is praised. Food is either a reward (“You did well, let’s celebrate!”) or a battleground (“Are you really eating that?”).

Or maybe, growing up, meals weren’t just about eating - they were about emotions. Tension at the dinner table. Criticism about your body. Diet culture wrapped up as “health.”

This is where anorexia and disordered eating patterns can start - not just from wanting to be thin, but from trying to regain control.

Your Brain’s Favorite Coping Mechanism

For some, food becomes the thing they can control when everything else feels overwhelming. Instead of saying, “I feel powerless in my family,” the brain rewires that feeling into “I just won’t eat.”

And because the mind and body are deeply connected, this coping mechanism can show up as:

👉 Skipping meals as a way to feel in control.
👉 Feeling guilt or anxiety around food.
👉 Linking self-worth to eating habits (“If I eat less, I’m doing better”).
👉 Using food (or lack of it) to cope with stress or family dynamics.

Sound familiar? You’re not imagining it. There’s actual research behind this.

Families set the foundation for how we see ourselves and our bodies. Some common patterns in families of teens with anorexia:

But here’s the thing: Families can also be a huge part of healing.

This isn’t about blaming families - it’s about understanding patterns so we can break them.

Sometimes, it’s not just about what we eat - but how our body processes it.

Chronic stress, high cortisol, and inflammation can all throw our metabolism off balance, making it harder to feel good in our own skin.

That’s why we designed the 30-Day Metabolic Reset - a structured, results-driven approach to tackling these hidden blockers.

Or if you want to chat about this, drop me a message here!

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Our amazing community of over 3,000 women is talking about this right now—because healing our relationship with food is a conversation worth having.

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